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Beat Zen Square Zen and Zen - Alan W. Watts
Beat Zen Square Zen and Zen - Alan W. Watts
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This slim 26 page booklet re-prints an essay that first appears in the summer 1958 issue of Chicago Review. For this publication, Watts revised and expanded the original essay. Leave it to Alan Watts to zero in on the essence of Zen and describe for us the ways in which Zen gets usurped by various cultural attitudes. This is a classic essay for those who are caught either in Zen orthodoxy or Zen hipsterism. This essay helps to see through the many ways in which western cultures have misunderstood and misapplied the essence of this profound and subtle understanding of life and provides a core understanding of what Zen isn't, allowing an appreciation of what Zen is. A short but highly rewarding read if you are truly seeking the essence of Zen mind. The greatest part is how he constructs the categories and then doesn't tear them down, but gently chides both of them in equal measure--beat zen for being a scapegoat for profligacy and square zen for being so planned that it is over the mark again. First edition, City Lights, 1959. Original Price of 75 cents on the back cover.
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